Draft Day Musings

Hands up if you knew that the CFL draft would turn out the way it did.Just as I thought, no one did.It was a wild and wacky day that seemed to be loaded with surprises. The first pick was no surprise, we all knew that Dylan Barker was the best player available. Hamilton got him and they will keep him.Calgary picking back-to-back offensive linemen may turn out to be sheer genius. The Stamps need a great deal of help on the line and they got the best two players to begin there.The Riders got Keith Shologan. Eric Tillman did try to steer me away from him but I just felt he was their guy. He gives them a run-stopping tackle to fill in the void if Scott Schultz ever retires. The same goes for Jonathan St-Pierre, a centre who will is expected to take over when Jeremy O’Day hangs them up.The Riders made a great pick in Mike Stadnyk. I talked to his mother, Judy, and she sounded so proud. The draft day is about filling rosters for CFL teams but you can’t help but think about the families who helped those players get to that level.That’s what was on my mind when I watched Teale Orban step into the spotlight as the Riders quarterback. I watched him walk in the Mosaic Stadium offices and I wondered what was going through his mind. Then I saw him in the locker room and playfully asked him if he had ever been in there before.Teale said it was his first time. Teale’s parents. Rick and Luana, were there watching with pride. You may not know them but they have covered every inch Mosaic Stadium selling 50-50 tickets for the Regina Rams. They were so proud and humbled by what took place. A parent’s dream can come true, too. It did on Wednesday.Seeing Orban’s name come up on the draft list and the reactions of him and his family in the Riders’ locker room will be my highlights of the 2008 draft.The Riders closed out the day picking offensive lineman Jean-Francois Morin-Roberge and defensive back Jeff Zelinski. Tillman said Jean-Francois Morin-Roberge is the biggest man he has ever seen. He does lead the draft in hyphens. It should be neat seeing him in camp. Zelinski was selected at the request of defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall. So, that’s the class of 2008 in a nutshell. Is it a good draft? On paper it looks good. It will ultimately be decided when the players get on the field.—Murray McCormick

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